


Punishments

by Melonee_Mizu



Series: The Unwritten Book | 空白书 [4]
Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:29:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24268213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melonee_Mizu/pseuds/Melonee_Mizu
Summary: The experience of Wu Lang and Dong Xiu during their imprisonment, and the dreams of a comfortable past that they wish they can return to
Series: The Unwritten Book | 空白书 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1331786
Comments: 13
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

Wu Lang’s body was heavy and aching, his mouth moving behind his black mask as a groan slipped past his lips. His top had been long shredded by these beings in white, leaving his skin bare to the air--the skin that should have been healthily colored and free from blemishes. Currently, it has bruises of old and new peppering all over his frame, and he couldn’t do anything to defend himself against the savage beatings. Although he was trained to defend himself in hand-to-hand combat, he found himself useless when it came to these strange men in white robes; every time they appeared without footsteps and reached a hand out to him, his consciousness would leave and he would wake up already chained up. 

He was a useless bodyguard. 

When Wu Lang groaned, there was a sharp shift behind him--the sound of another’s labored breathing loud in the otherwise quiet moment in the entrapped space. Finding his strength, the topless redhead struggled to put his bruised arms under him to push up off the tepid floor. He felt his muscles protest as he straightened himself to a kneeling position, glancing up at the man that hugged his body tightly with the fingertips pressing deeply into bloodied, green satin robes. Widened, green eyes stared at Wu Lang from the shadows of the cell--and the nineteen-year-old demon lost his train of thought when he saw the petrified expression. 

Dong Xiu was always a strong man in Wu Lang’s eyes. Even in the crying acts that he pulls to elect pity from within other people’s hearts, Wu Lang has always seen the strength behind the false expressions--there was never a moment when he saw weakness or complete defenselessness. 

However, when he stared at Dong Xiu now, Wu Lang saw that his idol had lost that strength.

“D-dong…” He tried to call out, but he was cut off by a slight movement. Dong Xiu’s eyes shifted to look over at the entrance of the prison cell, his expression dropping more into one of absolute horror. Wu Lang knew what it was, but his bruising body couldn’t rush up to the word that popped up in his mind at that instant: _run…!_

A hand grasped a handful of Wu Lang’s hair and pulled him back, causing the young demon to cry out, _“Ah!!”_ The sound of the younger man being in pain seemed to snap Dong Xiu out of whatever petrification he was in, and the man suddenly lunged. One claw reaching up to the offending hand that harshly gripped the red hair while the green-robed body rocketed forward--bloodied teeth biting deeply into the white sleeves of the man, causing an explosion of red to jet out under the immense pressure of the bite. 

“Ouch!” The man cried out. Because of Dong Xiu’s attack, the mysterious man released his hold on Wu Lang, and the young demon scrambled--pushing past his aches as he rushed to the corner where Dong Xiu previously was trembling in. It seemed that the primal instinct to protect had overtaken the Eastern Marquis and he growled in his bite, not releasing his hold even though the man in white was trying to push him off. 

“Damn!! You fucking bastard!” The man shouted as he shifted his palm from flat to fist, the shoving turning into hard punches at the demon’s head. 

“Rr…Eerrr…!!” Dong Xiu wasn’t even himself anymore. The whites of his eyes turned black and the green was shifting in color. Wu Lang could only watch dumbly as he tried to make himself smaller in the corner. Even though he was hit several times in the back of the head, the raven-haired demon kept his jaws locked around the now-bloody spot on the mysterious being. Wu Lang knew that his master was in pain--after all, the sound of those hits falling made him cringe and he inwardly became afraid that the loud sounds had been Dong Xiu’s skull starting to split. 

“x-xi-Xiu….!” Wu Lang called out weakly, his heart racing in his chest as he felt his body instinctively spring tears, his face growing hot as an insane, childlike fear consumed him. Yet, it was as if his friend couldn’t hear him. The insane look in his eye only grew as his bloodied jaw increased its pressure, no doubt biting into the man’s bone. Even bubbles of blood escaped and spilled onto the floor. 

“Shit… He really did jaw-lock on me…” The man hissed in pain, then he turned his face and called out, “Baak Zeon! Help, he’s locked on me.”

“Hm?” A lazy hum drifted into earshot as another white figure walked by. The man wore long, flowing clothes of white and silver, and in his hair, he had the ornament in the shape of an olive branch. Wu Lang had quickly concluded during their first night trapped that this “Baak Zeon” was the leader of the group--and instantly at his appearance, his body couldn’t help but noticeably tremble. Unknowingly, Wu Lang was struggling to breathe properly and the increasing heartbeats in his chest felt painful and loud. But the man that walked by didn’t seem to notice him, instead, his violet eyes held traces of laughter as he looked at his clan member and Dong Xiu. “Did you hit him?” 

“Of course I did!” The man with the silver magnolia flower adornment in his hair hissed. He glanced over his shoulder at his leader. “Could you help out?!” 

“Ah, but I don’t want to get my hands dirty,” the other man replied with a peal of small laughter. “I’m visiting the sister’s tonight and I need my hands for them.” 

“Ugh…!” 

“Try destroying his jaw.”

“Oh,” The younger man looked back at Dong Xiu with a light of surprise on his face. Then he quickly flashed Baak Zeon a ‘you’re so smart’ look. When his hand reached Dong Xiu’s tightened jaw, a sickening, sharp _CRUNCH_ sounded, followed by a sudden dog-like yelp. In a swift motion, the man tossed Dong Xiu’s body effortlessly--and a loud thud of the body meeting the wall forcefully made Wu Lang flinch. 

Instantly, Wu Lang pushed himself off and darted to his friend. 

“Dong Xiu!” 

“Come here, you,” the man grabbed the back of Wu Lang’s neck when the demon took only a few steps forward. Five digits dug deeply into the tender skin, and Wu Lang grunted as he was pulled back, his lips curling behind his mask. 

Just that one moment of stillness, he could see Dong Xiu laying on the floor pitifully, writhing in pain with hands at his now dented-in lower jaw with faint gasps and several pained, smalls sounds leaving his stretched mouth. Those eyes slowly bleed away back to normal--Dong Xiu returning to himself because of the immense pain. 

Wu Lang’s sight became blurry as new tears pooled at the reddened edges and dripped off. But he couldn’t do anything more before the grip was tightened and a sudden pressure was felt at the back of his head. The pressure was so great and gradual that he lost control of his consciousness, his eyes falling backward as he felt his soul leave his body.

  
  


When Wu Lang came around, he forced his heavy eyelids open. His head was tilted back, so when he came to his senses he found that his arms were tied by a rope, suspending his outstretched and aching arms towards the ceiling. In this position, even though his legs were weak and unable to support him, all of his weight was held up and it hurt his arms. He grimaced--the hideous flesh of his face uncovered. 

“You’re awake,” a lazy voice suddenly said, and from the top of his vision, he saw the handsome, feminine face peer down at him. Heterochromia eyes fluttered as he tried to lock eyes with those deep violet ones, but it wasn’t long until five fingers harshly grasped at his chin, tilting his head away to show that awful disfigurement that Wu Lang had for as long as he remembered. Wu Lang instinctively grimaced, but he didn’t see how those purple eyes showed a hint of resentment.

“Long ago, I had a sibling that went down to the lower plains,” he spoke lazily, his other hand coming up to stroke his thumb across the uneven bumps. Although Wu Lang flinched, he ignored the other’s voiceless protest and continued to speak as he rubbed his thumb all-too-gently across the disfigurement. “When the Elder, my father, told me to go down to get her back, I had to destroy what kept her anchored in such a wretched place.” 

Then a sudden, unfriendly smile bloomed on his face--eyes widening as he suddenly tightened his grip on the young demon’s chin; his other hand pulling away from the disfigurement suddenly... Wu Lang whimpered, stopping himself short from opening his mouth for mercy.

“You remind me of such awful memory.” 

It was at that moment that a sharp stinging pain made itself known on Wu Lang’s back, right below the back of the neck. Wu Lang widened his jaw and let out a pained, “Ah!” at the stinging, uncomfortable sensation. Then the smiling face wondered off, somewhere behind him where he heard that man and the younger one exchange words. 

“Peel it. I want to see how this looks on lanterns.”

“Lanterns? I hope it’s enough.” 

Then Wu Lang’s head was forced forward, baffling the young demon. He didn’t have much time to understand the situation before something greatly irritated the incision on his back--digging into him and tugging. 

Immediately, Wu Lang’s body found some hidden strength and moved--wanting to escape. 

“No! _No!!_ ” Wu Lang could hear himself scream as his body thrashed wildly, catching the other men by surprise. Although he felt relief when those probing digits were shaken off, he continued to writhe, instincts telling him to escape. Yet there wasn’t much he can do--the ropes that held his arms suspended only brought pain as the material burned at his wrist, and although he turned his body to kick wildly at the closest man, it wasn’t at all much help when he was the prey already caught. 

Although he was thrashing around, it didn’t take long for one of the men to catch one of his flying legs and chain them to the cuffs below him. Then the other leg was soon secured, leaving Wu Lang trembling with wide-eyed fear, suspended in place and mostly under control. The man with the magnolia hair ornament comically said to his leader, “This is why I told you to secure him earlier.” 

“I didn’t expect him to do that,” the other man laughed. “Try now.” 

“No--no,” Wu Lang was wheezing. In his ears, he only heard the profound heartbeats. He couldn’t even register what the mysterious beings had said because his panic was already consuming him. Sweat was already coating the red-haired demon’s body and his breath came out in short puffs. He couldn’t calm down--he lost control of himself and only felt an uncontrollable sensation consume him.

He felt terror. 

Those fingers returned to digging into his back and pulling, and Wu Lang let out a bloodcurdling scream, wetness dripping from his eyes like rain as he felt the pain spread from his back to his shoulders--and unbearable pain that made him twitch and wiggle in attempts to shake off the other. He screeched until his throat scratched. 

“ _AHH!! AAAAAAAH!!!_ ” 

His screams continued as he felt the pain increase, feeling as if his black had been lit on fire and the skin was bubbling and sizzling--and falling off. 

The sound of wet silk ripping was faintly heard over the horrific shrieks.

Wu Lang even heard himself begging for an end--still able to feel everything, but his soul feeling numb. His body was in pain, but it was a torture he couldn’t deal with anymore.

“ _Let me go!! Let me go!!_ ” His voice screamed, clear fluids running from the five orifices of his face; tears mixing with snot and drool. He couldn’t do anything but scream and try to lurch his body away. Below him, a dark pool of liquid red grew bigger with wet sounds, drenching his uncovered feet with the warm, dark liquid that smelt of iron. “ _Let me go!! Dong Xiu!! Dong Xiu!!!_ ” 

His screaming pitched as the pain traveled downwards, stopping at the end of his back before another sharp pain happened. Then it stopped--but the overwhelming, fresh, burning sensation still made it feel like something was digging into his back and pulling back his flesh. His screams continued. 

“ _Aah!! Aahhh!!! Let me go!!!"_

“Holy shit, he has lungs,” A careless comment was made, followed by laughter. Something poked at his bloodied back and his body instinctively jerked away, reacting to the sudden, tender pain that spiked across. Wu Lang didn’t even know when he started to gently rock himself in attempts to self-comfort. He kept screaming until his voice slowly died down, leaving him dryly sobbing--trying to get a proper breath in his body, but unable to find himself able to pass that hard lump in his throat. In fact, the real reason why he suddenly quieted down was due to the spell of lightheadedness that caught him followed by the dull pain in his chest.

It was at that point that the mysterious people decided to cut him loose. 

Because he was suspended for so long, Wu Lang had no feelings in his arms. He couldn’t even bring himself to look at them directly, losing most of his will just from the shock of what had just occurred. In fact, he couldn’t even bring himself to feel grounded--as if his mind was still freefalling and unable to reach the ground. 

He was so far, he didn’t notice that one of the men had brought over a large jar filled with fat bugs submerged in water. The other man dragged Wu Lang onto his back--the demon going limp. Turquoise and hazel eyes were dull, staring at nothing as they took one of his arms and stretched it out. They murmured amongst themselves before the man with the violet eyes reached into the jar and took out a bug, placing the cool, wet thing onto the reddened wrist. Immediately the bug seemed to realize that food was underneath it and its tiny mandibles started to gnaw at flesh. 

The prickling, unpleasant sensation was what brought Wu Lang out of his insensibility. 

He jolted, but as soon as he made a movement, the two men held him down, pinning him against the floor with their hands and steadying the arm that the bug was currently biting into. Wu Lang was frightened, widened eyes darting from between the men to the bug that was grazing into his flesh. 

“N-No!” His broken voice begged, agony heavy in his words as he tried to pull away. He flexed his hand, trying to wiggle the maggot-like creature off of him, but the two hands held onto him tighter. “No, p-please let me g-go!!” 

“Settle down,” a lazy voice replied from the Baak Zeon person, his eyes trained on the bug that had broken through the layers of flesh and was burrowing into the young demon’s wrist. Blood was seeping through the hole, and Wu Lang cringed at the sensation of something invading into his veins. He wanted to vomit. 

“N-No-- stop, please… _Stop_ …!” 

He couldn’t… He really couldn’t… 

The teen’s vision grew darker as the lightheadedness took over him and the last thing he saw was the tail end of the bug disappearing into his wrist. 

  
  
  


When Wu Lang came back, his head was down, his body being dragged across onyx floors as his numbed arms were held up by each side. The young demon didn’t have the energy to look up or fix his legs under him, so he allowed himself to be dragged. 

His back burned and in his wrist, he felt a constant, uncomfortable wriggle. 

Eventually, he heard the sound of metal screeching before his body was tossed onto the dark, bloody cell he was taken from. When his limp body met the floor with a hard thud, he heard a muffled cry, then hands on his shoulders. They were tender hands--and above him a strangled sob. 

“Wu Lang…” a brittle voice called for him--a voice that helped Wu Lang fight the dizziness. He groaned in response, but it wasn’t heard by the other demon. Hands shook hid pained body again and that brittle voice became stronger, laced with terror, “Wu Lang!!” 

A dry, sobbing intake of air made it past half-disfigured lips. The unexpected intake of air distressed his lungs, prompting him to grimace and moan loudly.

The sound of his sudden breath of air, the hands stilled the best they could, the violent tremors unable to be helped. Dong Xiu’s green eyes glossed with unshed tears. When the young demon was tossed into the cell, Dong Xiu’s first reaction was to attack the men that had caused his retainer pain. Even though they were separated, Dong Xiu had heard his friend’s screams--and it had troubled him to the point where he broke his nails clawing at the iron bars trying to rip them apart so that he could save his friend. Even the beast within him writhed and felt compelled to escape and protect Wu Lang. Yet, when the man was lifeless in front of him with lackluster eyes and not a breath fluttering from his mouth, it made Dong Xiu and the monster within panic. 

For a second--a small, terrifying second, he thought that they killed him. 

The grieved frown on Dong Xiu’s face increased. The dent that indicated his damaged jaw had healed already-- as if such a thing never happened in the first place. He carefully undid his green robes and draped it over the bloodied back of his friend. He was careful even though the skin had been ripped off--exposing red muscles and the bloodied spine. When the cloth covered the large wound, he gently gathered the man into his arms, turning him over carefully to not agitate the younger demon’s wounds. Wu Lang didn’t have the energy to move so he allowed his friend to hold him, sighing brokenly as he leaned against the other’s strong chest. 

“Oh, Beast of Past,” a light voice languidly carried over. Dong Xiu glared up at the man in white who stood behind the iron cage. Smooth lips were spread into a smile as he continued talking, “We starved you for three days now. Perhaps you would like a snack, finally?” 

_Shut up,_ the beast within Dong Xiu growled. It was upset at having a member of its herd damaged and pained. 

The man seemed to have heard the beast within and the smile increased into a sinister smirk. Orchid eyes dropped down to the bloody hole in Wu Lang’s wrist and he replied, “Look down and you’ll find a long-time favorite of your kind.”

Dong Xiu couldn’t help but follow the directions he was given, and his eyes immediately falling to the bloody, small hole--wide enough to dig a fingernail in without causing more damage. Although his heart felt pain for a second, there was suddenly a faint scent that made his barren stomach rumble.

 _A Gu?_ The beast drooled, its sinister eyes widening as the hunger he had been resisting for the sake of his herd member overtook him. Dong Xiu’s eyes flashed black and bright green and his mouth immediately salivated. 

How can a Fiend of his heritage ignore such a delightful feast?

Seeing that he managed to get the beast’s attention, the man in white and silver closed his eyes before turning on his heel and leaving with his kin. 

  
  
  


Wu Lang became frightened when he saw the hungry, foreign expression on Dong Xiu’s face. The man he instinctively came to when he was distressed suddenly looked at his wrist as if it was a tasty treat. Although his body ached, he pushed himself up and pressed his hands against Dong Xiu’s shoulders in attempts to gain some distance. 

“Dong--Ah! _AH!!_ ” Wu Lang was screaming again as sharp teeth sunk into his wrist. It happened so fast that Wu Lang didn’t have time to react when the strong grip held his arm outward and teeth buried into the flesh with unimaginable pressure. Blood exploded under the sudden assault and Wu Lang instantly tried to draw himself away the moment he felt pain. The poor, bloodied, bruised demon only made the situation worse when he tried to pull away; ‘Dong Xiu’ growled as he shook his head, digging into the wound deeper and sucking up the blood--the bobbing of the man’s Adam’s Apple signaling that he was swallowing the liquid. Wu Lang had a flashback and flew into hysterics. 

“ _Dong Xiu!! Dong Xiu!! Don’t eat me!!_ ” He cried, new tears formed and fell to his bloodshot eyes as his other hand instinctively tried to pull the other’s head away from his aching arm. The rabid demon growled deeply at the attempted interruption, but he continued to swallow mouthful after mouthful of dark red blood. Wu Lang’s loud, erratic howls got louder when he felt the lower jaw chew into his arm, then slowly attempted to pull a chunk of meat. “ _No!! No!! Don’t eat me!!_ ” 

His pushes became punches; the young demon was striking full force at the back of Dong Xiu’s head. All the blows were quick and hard, and he screeched as he felt the pain increase more and more as the veins and muscles were tugged by the row of teeth.

There was a particularly hard hit to Dong Xiu’s head before Wu Lang wailed, _"I don’t want to be eaten!! Dong Xiu, I don’t want to be eaten!! Dong Xiu!! Please!!_ ” 

The struggling at his arm stopped and slowly the mouth released its pressure. The handsome bottom jaw was jittering as it dislodged from the bloodied muscle. Wu Lang was quivering uncontrollably. When Dong Xiu drew away a good amount, Wu Lang pulled back his mangled arm; he let out a broken, gross sob as he hugged the wounded limb to his chest and curled in on himself. 

If this was going to continue, he wanted to die. 

Dong Xiu and the Beast were famished, but after that particularly severe hit to their temple and the last word coming from one of their most beloved people, it made the both of them snap out of whatever trance of hunger they had been absorbed into. Dong Xiu was petrified by his actions, but the Beast expressed concern. Their bellies growled, but none of them wanted to feast on the flesh of a beloved. 

_It needs to come out_ , The beast within said dryly, not letting Dong Xiu dwell on the fact that he drank the blood of another demon and gained pleasure from it. Dong Xiu agreed with the Beast. The Gu within Wu Lang’s arm needed to come out before it killed him. 

Although his belly ached, Dong Xiu tentatively reached out to Wu Lang’s arm, grabbing onto the boy with such a gentle touch-- but the action was unwelcomed. Wu Lang had already become terrified from the experience and at the touch, the boy shrieked in hysteria as his body jolted and writhed in tremendous distress, “I don’t want to be eaten!! Don’t eat me!! Kill me! _Kill me!!_ ” 

Dong Xiu and the Beast were astonished, but the Eastern Marquis steeled his heart and grabbed onto the sides of Wu Lang’s panic-stricken face and spoke with as much power as he could muster. “Wu Lang! Wu Lang! Listen to me! _Breathe!!_ ”

It took him several attempts to call Wu Lang, trying to refocus his attention back to him. When he finally pulled the young man from the grasps of trauma-induced derangement, he stroked the sides of the other’s half-disfigured skin before pulling him into a hug, his heart shattering at how his precious friend became so vulnerable. 

“I’m sorry. Wu Lang, I’m so sorry,” his lips were repeating over and over again, hugging that head of red hair close as he started to mourn. Against his chest, Wu Lang was unrestrained with his grief, wailing powerfully into the other’s bloodied undershirt but leaning against him like a child seeking comfort and protection.

But what comfort can Dong Xiu provide? How can he protect those he loves if he’s causing them this much distress? 

  
  
  
  


He allowed the frightened boy to mourn against him as he joined in the loss of their future. He knew that even if they made it out of this alive, their lives would always be threatened by the invisible enemy inside of their minds, recounting these traumatic experiences and haunting them with every single detail.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Belated punishment because I forgot to ask yesterday while I was in a bad mood. So it's not gore, but it'll probably be the only time I will be this merciful with punishments.

Today was one of the rare days that the two men in white didn’t stop by the prison. However, such days were so spontaneous that the two prisoners didn’t know when it was a “day of rest” or a day of torment. 

The skin of Wu Lang’s back had been healed over. Aching, but the skin had returned with very little scarring. Demon blood has always been strong and as long as the demon was focusing their energy on healing, almost any wound would be healed in a matter of days. 

...not like how Dong Xiu healed, however. 

After a few days of being beaten without reason, Wu Lang had come to realize that his master had a highly accelerated healing system--so accelerated that it didn’t even seem possible even on demonic standards. Wounds like damaged bones or split skulls would heal in a matter of seconds or hours depending on the severity. His type of healing wasn’t demonic nor human… but rather _ominous_.

Turquoise and hazel eyes watched the man that curled on the blood-covered ground apparently asleep. None of them had a proper night’s rest. There had been days when they tried to get some rest, but then the men in white had appeared and ruined all chance they had to get some much-needed downtime. Hence, the two were sleep-deprived. On days when the mysterious people were gone, both of the battered men would take turns keeping watch while the other got some shut-eye. In short, they became distrusting of untroubled days.

Dong Xiu’s green robe had been long tarnished and abandoned somewhere, not even useable anymore even as a blanket. Unfortunately, the detestable prison pen had a cold draft and it bothered Wu Lang. He normally wasn’t susceptible to the cold, but without an adequate shirt on and with the residue of sweat and blood covering him, every faint gust of chilly air from somewhere gave him the jitters. He hugged himself tighter as he fought the shivers that ran through his body. 

“Cold?” Dong Xiu’s voice was quiet, but the unexpected sound made the red-haired demon jolt in shock. His heterochromia eyes immediately widened as his head snapped to where the voice came from--his mind immediately registering every noise as _‘danger’_ regardless of where it originated from. He blinked several times at the beryl eyes that stared at him patiently before he registered the words.

“A-ah-a b-b-eh-it…” he barely managed to stutter. The unbearable physical tortures on his body made his speech disability worse than what it typically was. He couldn’t even form proper sentences when he wasn’t screaming for them to stop and begging them to let him go. The nineteen-year-old couldn’t help but feel ashamed of himself. 

He really wasn’t valuable anymore, was he? 

However, the broken words didn’t have an impact on Dong Xiu. The quiet father-figure pushed himself up and extended an arm to the younger man, wordlessly inviting him. Although this was the man that harmed him occasionally whenever his hunger was provoked, the invitation wasn’t declined. Haltingly, Wu Lang uncoiled himself from his dark corner and crawled over to his friend, each movement shaky and uncertain. When he was close enough, the somewhat shorter figure was drawn into gaunt arms. Their positions were shifted carefully until Wu Lang was leaning against the other’s bare chest, a somewhat bloodied, white inner-robe hung over him. He was settled between Dong Xiu’s thighs, and those skinny arms held him close while keeping the backside of the fabric covering most of Wu Lang’s body. Above him, the man let out a low, handsome chuckle and said softly, “Ah. They say that body warmth is the best heater.”

Wu Lang didn’t have the mental energy to process the words. All he could focus on was that warmth that his body leaned against and he couldn’t help but snuggle closer to it--the deformed patch of skin pressed against the other man’s warm bosom. All too quickly, he felt his body grow light as his eyelids shut firmly, falling asleep against the other man like a child.

Before he completely passed out, he murmured a word--his mind hallucinating and recalling a fond flashback of when he was smaller and in the strong arms of a man he cherished with all of his heart.

Dong Xiu had heard the word that his fatigued retainer had muttered under his breath. It wasn’t the first time he had heard the boy unconsciously say that word, but every time he had heard it, he felt a throb of jealousy. He cradled the sleeping body closer, curling over slightly to rest his cheek against those soft, matted red hair. He sighed through his nose noiselessly.

A sense of melancholy overcame him.

_Do you want to be the boy’s real father?_ The Beast teased him, having the boldness to laugh at a time like this. 

_Shut up_ , Dong Xiu replied to it with dismissal thick in his voice. He was drained and emotionally distressed. _It’s not like that._

_Of course, it isn’t,_ The Beast huffed as its green eyes glanced at the gate as if checking to see if the mysterious people walked in. When it verified that today was indeed a quiet day, it continued, _You don’t have to be jealous of a man who abandoned his family. After all, the boy is a part of the herd. I already deemed it so_. 

_What’s that supposed to mean?_ Dong Xiu snorted. His body kept its eyes on the gate while the Beast was chatting with him inside the depths of his soul. 

_It means he’s a part of the house,_ it replied. _His pains are our pains. As his protectors, we put him first before our needs, just the same as how we will put the wife and children before ourselves_.

Dong Xiu silenced as he measured the words spoken carefully. Seeming to sense the man's hesitation of the boy's place in his heart, the Beast cautiously continued, 

_This suffering will not last forever. If we had a chance of escaping from the cruel hands of these Higher Beings and only one of you two can run into the world outside again, would you let yourself or the boy go?_

Dong Xiu missed his wife. He missed his daughters and he yearned for his home. However, he looked down at the sleeping body and sighed. Dong Xiu was no stranger to being greedy and abandoning people for his own benefits in dire times. He could escape and see his beautiful wife again, breathe the fresh air, get away from this suffering--and leave it all to the boy in his arms, who will continue to suffer weep every day at the hands of these cruel people who will maltreat him just for their pleasure. Or he could let Wu Lang go and he would be the one to endure unimaginable pain as they try to pry the Beast out into the real world to let out the beginnings of Armageddon.

Quietly, the hypothetical scenario of one of them being able to escape played out in his mind.

  
  
  


For once, Dong Xiu found himself unable to come to an outcome that he approved of.


	3. Over the town of Kangding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wanted domestic fluff but I got domestic knifed--

When Wu Lang descended the stairs of the mansion from his room, he heard the familiar plucks of the guqin playing the tune that he was taught when he was fourteen. The young man’s brows rose in interest as he fixed the string of his black mask behind his ear, heterochromia eyes drifting to the side chamber that was used only for peaceful gatherings. As he reached the last few steps, his hands at the railing, he glanced into the bright room, entranced by the mystifying air that surrounded his master. 

Dong Xiu was a nobleman of high class. With his back straight, his long, black hair tied up into a horsetail, and green eyes focused on the strings which elegant fingers strummed and plucked, he looked so powerful in such a serene way in the sunlight that filtered through the light curtains of the window. Long lashes fluttered as the familiar old tune played. 

Wu Lang had never heard of this song before he was brought into the Dong household. In fact, his own blood family was not well-educated in the realm of the arts. He rarely remembers his father or grandmother reciting songs, gazing at pictures, picking out colorful clothes, or bothering to read anything that was non-political. And as a dumb child, he didn’t really question his way of life until he had lost his father and grandmother. Not including being drafted into the military, he never really experienced a colorful life until he saw those green eyes light up with mirth. He hadn’t heard such a beautiful sound like the zither until Dong Xiu had pulled him over. 

“Wu Lang,” he remembered the small laughter in Dong Xiu’s voice as the man was knelt by the same blue instrument, his eyes creasing slightly as he pulled over the fourteen-year-old by the arm. “Come, I’ll teach you my favorite love song.” He remembered being seated upon the man’s lap, large hand over his own, and placing them in the appropriate spot, instructing him gently as his fingers were guided to press and pluck. 

At the first sounds, he was captivated by the strangeness of music. 

Now at nineteen, Wu Lang had been introduced to many things. From music, to theater, to colorful artworks, to clothes that didn’t only consist of black and grey. There had been so much given to him that he didn’t know if he could ever repay the man that had changed his life from the dull world that he thought was normal. He watched Dong Xiu continue the song, stopping only after the last part of the second verse. Then, after a while of tranquil silence, the corner of the man’s lip tilted upwards.

“Good morning, Wu Lang,” Dong Xiu greeted, turning his head to look at the direction of the staircase. Green eyes met heterochromia ones and Wu Lang offered a small gesture with his hand to signal his silent greeting. Although the two of them were the only ones up this early in the morning, Dong Xiu didn’t move from his spot seated before the guqin. Instead, he tilted his head back to the instrument and spoke to the assassin without looking at him, “Would you like to sit by me?” 

“Hn,” Wu Lang rounded the staircase and approached, sitting cross-legged on the floor beside his master. His hazel ad turquoise eyes stared intently at the blue zither and the pale fingers that rested on the strings. 

There was a pause, then Dong Xiu said, “Wu Lang, have I ever told you the lyrics to this song?” 

“Hm?” Wu Lang glanced up to his master’s thoughtful face before he spoke honestly, “You haven’t, m-master.” 

“Would you like to know?” As the words left his mouth, those fingers started to faintly strum over the strings. The faint music drifted into the air. Like a child, Wu Lang listened intently at the music as he answered dumbly, “S-sure.” 

Dong Xiu’s lips curved before his fingers moved on the hard strings with confidence. Wu Lang knew that the eastern marquis was quiet regarding his vocal talent in the realm of music, but he has heard his master muse out a few lines of music when there was no instrument around. His voice wasn’t bad, yet it could never be at the level of the famously rumored prince of the north. In Yuan Ji’s own words, Dong Xiu’s vocal talent was “moderately average”. 

After a few bars, the elegant noble’s lips parted and he sang,

 _“Lovely maid with a sweet smile, Li the woodcutter’s daughter._ _  
__Zhang the blacksmith’s eldest son, came to court her in the moonlight._ _  
__Moonlight shines bright, over Kangding town, ah”_

Behind them, Wu Lang could hear the gentle footsteps coming down the stairs. From the weight put on the steps, he could tell that the person descending had heard the master’s song and did not want to disrupt. He knew Dong Xiu hear it as well. However, the music continued, sounding more and more beautiful with every pluck. 

_“First, he had fallen in love because, she was talented and sweet._ _  
__Second, he had fallen in love because, she can support the family_ _  
__Moonlight shines bright, can support the family”_

Whoever it was that had descended the stairs had stopped at the base of the stars. Gentle flops of the sandals slid across the polished floor but the woman had stopped in her tracks. Although Wu Lang had been aware of the appearance of another member of the household who had woke up, he couldn’t bring himself to tear his eyes away from the keys. His eyes were mesmerized by the way the fingers strummed and his mind engraving the lyrics of the song into his memory. 

_“Lovely maidens of the world, I cannot help but love you_ _  
__Gentlemen of the world, they cannot help but woo you.”_

As he played, Dong Xiu’s eyes drifted from the strings, glancing over the sitting and diligent Wu Lang to the short-haired woman that stood patiently by the rails of the stairs, her own mellow, dark eyes gazed at him with a gentleness that it made his heart inside tremble. For a half a second, his lips trembled and he lost his breath; his mind went blank. His voice went weak at the last line: 

_“Moonlight shines bright,_ _  
__Cannot help but to woo you…”_

Wu Lang saw the slight tremble in Dong Xiu’s fingers and he immediately knew that it was the first wife of the household that was standing patiently at the stairs. Wu Lang didn’t understand what had made his master tremble in a mixture of nervousness and excitement, but he knew that these feelings were nearly uncontrollable for Dong Xiu. 

His master loves Yuan Ji. 

But Wu Lang didn’t understand how that “love” worked. The only thing he knew about it is that it made people do disgusting things like kiss and sex.

His train of thought was interrupted when Dong Xiu spoke, “Ji- _er_.” 

“Husband,” Yuan Ji greeted, giving her husband a smile that was slightly wider than the faint one that she had held while he had played his song. Wu Lang only lazily looked at his master’s face, seeing the blush that had quickly spread on Dong Xiu's face. 

Even though his expression was expertly schooled, Wu Lang didn’t know if he could laugh or cry at his master’s weak heart.

Knowing that he should quickly get out of the way, the young demon pushed himself to his feet and cupped his hands together with a bow at Dong Xiu, “Thank you for teaching me the song, master. However, it appears you two need some time alone. I will take my leave.” Before he had let Dong Xiu word out any self-defense, the young demon spun on his heel and offered a simple greeting of “Good morning, first lady Ji.” before running off to avoid seeing the married couple smooch.

Dong Xiu watched the teenager full sprint to the front door, perhaps to go out and jog for early morning exercise before joining them for breakfast then preparing to spar. He knew what made the boy run off quickly--after all, Wu Lang has never kept it a secret that he disliked public displays of affection, something Dong Xiu, an affectionate man by nature, couldn’t help himself with when it came to Yuan Ji.

Yet, like how he was with his own daughters, Dong Xiu couldn’t help himself from laughing at the younger generation’s dismay. Okay, there might have been a few times when he intentionally kissed and groped his wives just to bother Wu Lang, but it was all in good nature and for the entertainment.

Yuan Ji’s gentle giggle at Wu Lang’s knee-jerk reaction to run away from a potentially “dangerous” situation caught Dong Xiu’s attention immediately. The Eastern Marquis pushed himself to his feet and walked over to her, his green eyes watching her delicate and lovely frame shake from laughter. 

“Ah, I think we teased him too much in the past,” she said when he was close to her, both of them standing side by side. One of her slim hands were held at her lap in front of her while her other hand hid those beautiful lips.

Dong Xiu’s smile had returned shakily as he agreed with her, “Yes… Perhaps we did.” 

There was a silence that drifted between them, and Dong Xiu’s heart throbbed when he saw the woman he loves lose her smile.

“Yuan Ji,” he spoke, trying to find an appropriate excuse for his actions of forceful adultery from the other night. Just as his words of excuse came from his lips, his gentle voice was interrupted by her deep inhale. 

“We don’t mention…” She started, turning her head away from him. Although the action was to protect him from seeing her disappointed and saddened expression, it couldn’t help but hurt him more. 

He was such a disgusting, loathsome creature. 

Dong Xiu swallowed down the stinging sensation that had built up in his throat. He knew that his beloved disliked thinking about his less than honorable nightlife, but although they had agreed on an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach to the situation, he couldn’t help the guilt and disgust that had filled him.

Even the beast within his soul mocked him for his weakness in the morning after, yet when it also looked upon Yuan Ji, its heart also trembled. 

With difficulty, he reached out to grab her delicate hand, holding the smooth limb in his hand as he rolled the pad of his thumb over those soft knuckles. It had gained her attention and she looked back at him, but his eyes had dropped to the white hand that rested in his own. His chest felt hollow as he vaguely thought about how he was such an unworthy creature to touch such a goddess. 

He brought the delicate hand to his lips and kissed at the base of her fingers, savoring her skin against his own with closed eyes. Thinking back to his favorite love song, he couldnt help but whisper against her hand, “ _Lovely maiden of the earth, I cannot help but love you_ ” 

Her freckled face tinted with red as she heard his whisper, but like all other times that he had said ‘I love you’ to her, she did not reply. Instead, she let the silence soak in before she pulled her hand away. When he looked up at her, Yuan Ji’s dark orbs had become more glossy. 

“Dong Xiu, I should prepare breakfast,” Yuan Ji said as she courtesied. “This household is only becoming bigger and that means I have more mouths to feed. If you don’t mind joining me, then I’ll appreciate the extra set of hands.” 

Dong Xiu smirked, unable to reject his beloved’s request, “Of course I would love to help! Ji-er, you should make me do the cutting. I don’t want your beautiful hands to get hurt.” 

“Husband, I’ve handled the knife plenty more times than you have…” 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“ _Lovely maiden of the earth, I cannot help but love you,_ ” Dong Xiu's childish voice had sang his own improvisation of the song while he and Yuan Ji were sitting in a field of dandelion puffs. The little girl with the adorable, freckled face giggled at the slight change of the lyrics in the old song. She held out a white puff to him, her little and round hands balled below the white puff as she answered back her own made-up lyrics to the melody: 

“ _Gentleman of the East, they cannot help but woo you._ ”


	4. Chapter 4

Dong Xiu was holding the sleeping body close to his chest. They have been stuck in this hellhole for so long, he didn’t know what day or time it was. The prison cell had no windows--just solid, thick walls on three sides. The only side that had some sort of opening was the iron gates, offering only a faint trickle of light from the long hallway. Even then, it led up a flight of stairs, then another long hallway. Dong Xiu didn’t even know where the exit was in this place. He only knew of the flight of stairs and the other hallway because he saw where they dragged Wu Lang off to after they knocked him unconscious. 

His hold tightened around the sleeping man, wanting to keep him close to him at all times. 

Wu Lang was only nineteen. He should have been going out, flirting with ladies, and getting married. However, because of Dong Xiu’s dumb calculation, they were stuck here. As prisoners? As toys? He couldn’t tell. He didn’t know. All he could remember was that something inside of him--something within the Beast--told him, “Go West.”

The Beast was usually a quiet thing outside of hunger and pleasure. Occasionally, it will whisper despicable things in his ears and urge him to do something horrifying, but it always stays asleep in the very back corner of his soul like any other sleepy and lazy animal. However, after he had set eyes on that human in red whose eyes glittering like silver and hair of a brilliant bronze color, something had disturbed the Beast within. The restless animal kept tilting its head westward and told him to go. Of course, the persistent insisting lasted for a few short days before Dong Xiu had gotten fed up with it and decided to travel west. Wu Lang had followed along--and Dong Xiu didn’t think that the trip would turn dangerous so he allowed the boy to follow. 

Oh, how wrong he was. 

Although he had cursed the Beast during the times of isolation whenever Wu Lang was dragged away to be tortured, the monster didn’t bother to make a defense for itself. It seemed to have found what it was looking for and deeply regretted it’s pestering--although he would never admit that.

Dong Xiu’s heavy eyelids were only half-closed when he heard the faint shriek of a faraway door. Instinctively, he tensed--the Beast already causing his throat to rumble uncomfortably and a strange, malicious growl escaping from his clenched teeth. The sudden, loud sound startled the boy that was resting in his arms. Once-closed eyes snapped open, showing that oddly-colored orbs shrunk and dulled with fear. Dong Xiu’s bloodied inner-robe was still draped over the slightly smaller figure, only a head of red hair pressed against the bare and pale chest of the other man shown as the rest of the body was curled in on itself underneath the fabric. Between them, because the two men had stood in this position for what seemed like hours, it was warm and comfortable. Although the danger was coming, the two didn’t move from their spot in the corner--clinging together like a parent and child that refused to part.

“Oh?” the lethargic tone earned a glare from the growling man. Dong Xiu’s skinny hand slowly slid up from the back of the trembling body that leaned against him, settling on the back of Wu Lang’s head and pressing him firmly against his chest--wanting to protect him. The man in white didn’t seem concerned with the action. Amethyst eyes continued to stare down at the two as he stood straight with his hands behind his back. An all-too-gentle smile had pulled at the corners of those elegant lips as he mused, “It’s so nice to have someone to protect, isn’t it?” 

_That’s none of your business, Higher Being,_ the Beast answered. It’s not like Dong Xiu wanted to speak a word to these awful assholes anyway, so he let the beast talk. He didn’t have to move his mouth and allow the beast to use his throat. These beings--whoever they are--could directly communicate with the ancient darkness without the need for it to vocalize through the Eastern Demon.

The man laughed, the happy expression on his face growing even more as he said, “Ah, yes. But don’t forget, even you have a time limit on your own patience.” 

The Beast was silent--its gaze turning to Wu Lang; the rumbling from Dong Xiu’s throat quieted down. The Eastern marquis couldn’t help but gawk at the beast in confusion. 

_Beast?_ He asked as he grabbed a fistful of its fur, trying to gain its attention from Wu Lang. The trembling body was still in the arm of their body, wide-eyed and frightened as Dong Xiu had the internal conversion with the Beast of Greed. _What does he mean?_

 _…_ The large throat moved in an all-too-familiar motion before the beast answered, _My hunger… He’s waiting until my hunger takes control_ . Sinister eyes were fixated on the boy in their arms as he continued, _I thought I could resist it for longer, but these Higher Beings seem to know our kind too well._

Dong Xiu grimaced. Yes, he had been starved for such a long time, his stomach didn’t even have the energy to rumble and he couldn’t even feel the throbs of hunger anymore. His physical body had become numb and skinny because of the long period of starvation. Aside from whenever they had to fish out the disgusting bug from within Wu Lang’s body, the beast didn’t bring up its own hunger. In fact, the Eastern demon had been so distressed lately that he didn’t realize that the beast never said anything concerning its hunger. 

Now that the beast said this, he recognized that even the ominous darkness was holding itself back in attempts to lengthen Wu Lang’s life. But like any other monster in the world, the gluttonous beast’s instincts will take over and it will even resort to consuming a member of its herd if it meant self-preservation.

 _Don’t you dare,_ Dong Xiu snapped at the beast. His emerald eyes flashing menacingly as he glared at it with every sort of anger he had felt at the moment. He saw how those sinister eyes twitched at his words---holding off that instinct to feed. He didn’t care if the beast was starving just as much, if not more than he was. There was no way he was going to allow it to eat Wu Lang.

The gentleman in white continued to smile down at the two demons, not at all wavering his sight as the Eastern Marquis had his internal dialogue with the beast. When the growling lowered to the point of not being much of a threat anymore, the man in white stretched his hand and pulled open the secured gate with ease. It seemed as if the gate knew who had touched it and it clicked and swung open. Unlike the prison cells that humans and demons had become accustomed to using where they will have locks and keys, the mechanism required nothing of the sort.

It unlocked with the man just touching it.

The strange rumbling in Dong Xiu’s throat came strong again and his lips curled to flash his bloodied teeth. The grip on the younger demon in his arms became stronger, nearly bringing pain to Wu Lang who remained mute throughout the entire ordeal. The person paused when he entered the cell, his soft smile on his lips too generously.

“Beast of Past,” he said. “You cannot protect those you hold dear. You should know this by now.” 

_He’s just a child_ , the monster returned, parting its jaws as its head lowered. Its lips were curled dangerously.

At the beast’s word, the man’s smile had gotten a little wider, “No, he’s not.” Then he reached over to Wu Lang. Dong Xiu drew the body closer to his chest, curling a bit to shield Wu Lang from the Higher Being’s view. For the first time in a long while, the Eastern Marquis’ lips parted and strange words came out in rumbles, “ _Un-mehd-dohn-pah-ghal Gisg-mehd-fahm-nah._ ” 

“Ah, the ancient language,” the man in white sighed, closing his eyes to savor the sound of the words. When he opened his eyes again, a wicked light flashed through his purple-hued eyes. “Unfortunately, you know that we don’t listen to inferior beings like you.” 

With what seemed like one step, the man in white covered the distance between them. Dong Xiu’s lips curled in pain as his scalp burned; a pale hand impaling its five digits into the demon’s skull and forcing his head backward. Blood rushed down the demon’s handsome face and he gasped at the intense discomfort. However, it wasn’t even a second later that he howled in agony as sickening snaps echoed. 

“ _AH!!_ ” 

The man in white effortlessly broke one of Dong Xiu’s arms from the elbows. The loud, dull snap made Wu Lang jolt. The first instinct of the young demon was to attack. His arm swung behind him on impulse, the back of his closed fist landing on the Higher Being’s attractive face.

Probably because of his panicked state, Wu Lang’s back-handed punch was hard. It took Baak Zeon by surprise and his body toppled over to the bloodied dirt. As soon as the guy had landed on the floor, Dong Xiu’s voice spoke as his body pushed forward as if urging Wu Lang up from his comfortable position, “ _Gehd-mehd!_ ” 

Although the words that came out were alien to his ears, something in him clicked. Immediately, the red-haired demon uneasily scrambled to his weak feet and darted up to the opened gate. His heart pounded profusely and quickly in his ears when his hands landed on the iron bars. The teen hesitated and froze in his tracks. 

He could run out and look for the exit--but wouldn’t he leave Dong Xiu behind?

The young demon didn’t have the chance to dwell on the thought. Something landed on the center of his back and pushed him forward, the pressure causing him to take several large steps until he was out of the threshold of the prison cell.

“Close it!” Dong Xiu’s voice was back to normal and right next to Wu Lang. Following orders, he slammed the gate shut behind them, his unique eyes glancing inside the cellar just in time to see the man in white starting to get up. Just as his hands left the white iron bars, Dong Xiu’s slightly larger hand slammed into it, forcing clammy palms back against the cool metal. Just as Wu Lang was going to sound his confusion, Dong Xiu told him, “Put some of your energy into it! Quickly!” 

Without questioning his master, the young adult blinked as he focused his demonic energy into the iron bars. A shadowy swirl encased his wrist and hand for a moment before trickling into the bars. The reaction caused the metal to vibrate. He was still puzzled when Dong Xiu seized his other hand and yanked him along as he ran. When they had just bolted up the stairs and through the door, behind them the cage rattled with the curse of _“Damn!”_

Wu Lang had his heart thumping loudly in his ears as he was tugged along by Dong Xiu. His eyes were fixated on Dong Xiu’s back--feeling too frantic and confused to worry about the various marks and dried blood that decorated his master’s bare skin. Their frantic footsteps echoed in the empty, dull hallways. Wu Lang was breathing heavily as he was pulled--his mind remembering the time when Dong Xiu and he ran through the tall, silver grass of Respite Field. 

“Dh-Doh-Dong--” He heaved breathlessly. Hot breaths from his mouth came out in a slight fog; although his body was burning with heat, the area around them was chilly. As they ran up the stairs, Wu Lang was pulled to the front. He was almost slammed against the closed door in front of them. 

“Unlock it,” Dong Xiu commanded, his speech deeper and more threatening than usual. At the sound of his voice, Wu Lang struggled to breathe. His entire frame halting as he stared at the metal handle of the door. Unlock it? How? Half-deformed lips moved as he struggled to voice out his uncertainty. 

“W-wh-wh-wh--” 

He was cut off by Dong Xiu’s irritable snarl, “Goddamn it, put your hand on it and open it!” When the crimson-haired youth didn’t move fast enough, Dong Xiu snatched his wrist and yanked it to the handle, growling, “Your energy.” 

Dumbly obeying, Wu Lang furrowed his brows as he concentrated his demonic energy to his hand. Black aura once again seeped into the metal. There was a faint click, then the door opened. 

Once again impatient, Dong Xiu grasped Wu Lang’s arm and pulled him along as he marched forward into an empty, wide hallway of alabaster stone columns and ivory tiles. To their side, rows, and rows of colorful stained glass windows. Wu Lang was too empty-minded to resist. 

“Wh-wh-whe-ere are we-we--” Wu Lang tried to speak, his voice shaking so terribly that he couldn’t come up with a proper sentence. Yet it didn’t seem like he needed to finish his sentence.

Without pausing or slowing down, Dong Xiu disrupted him in a commanding voice, “Home. Away from this damn fucking place.” As he spoke, he tightened his grip around Wu Lang’s bruised wrist, earning a soft grunt of pain from the more ignorant demon. However, Wu Lang didn’t have the courage to speak up, especially not when Dong Xiu was so enraged.

They were halfway through the corridor when calm, measured footsteps sounded overhead over their own hasty and noisy ones. The sound made Wu Lang’s eyes widen more--the beating in his chest becoming more pronounced as a sense of doom overwhelmed him. All at once, the image of the men who tortured him for days budded into his mind along with the fear of getting caught for breaking free from imprisonment. There was a dull ache in his chest; his throat started to go dry and hard. 

Wu Lang reached out to Dong Xiu’s bare, formerly broken arm and held onto him with urgency. He heaved and struggled to inhale as a sense of suffocation overcame him. His mouth was open, wanting to say ‘Dong Xiu, I can’t breathe’, but no words came out. He only tried to fill his lungs even though the sensation of suffocation remained--as if someone was pressing their hands against his neck and crushing him. 

Meanwhile, Dong Xiu’s green eyes flashed maliciously as he scowled towards the end of the corridor, the wounds on his forehead already healed completely without a single scar. He could hear Wu Lang’s dry heaves, and he could feel the other demon grip onto his arm with a strength that would be worrying. However, Dong Xiu and the beast did not mind. They paused in the middle of the corridor, their body and mind ready for a fight against whatever damnable person that came to intercept them. 

The beast knew what its descendant was planning to do and warned him, _If you do it now, it’s what they want._

 _I don’t care_ , Dong Xiu growled. As he spoke to the beast inside, he pulled Wu Lang behind him protectively to shield him from the view of whoever was coming. The panicking boy behind him didn’t seem to realize that he was guided to move. Dong Xiu’s throat growled. _I want this to end._

It probably took five steady ticks of heels against tile flooring for the approaching figure to turn the corner.

Immediately, Dong Xiu was taken aback and silenced; all violent and hostile thoughts that had run through his mind dwindled.

The beast couldn’t help it’s own amazement when he saw the figure, _So that’s how it is._

The bright sea-green eyes from the woman in white mirrored his shocked expression, and she dropped whatever she was holding in her arms. Dong Xiu stared at her dumbfoundedly, half of him understanding while the other half of him still tried to make the connection. 

“Ha. What troublesome creatures,” a lazy voice from behind sounded. At the first word, something pulled down on Dong Xiu and Wu Lang, as if a superior deity had pinned the two down with a finger and pressed hard against them to crush them into the floor. Because he was already weakened beforehand, Dong Xiu didn’t have the energy to fight against the pressure. Both of the demons crumbled to the white tile floor with the heavy _THUD_. 

The woman in white jolted, her eyes widening as she rushed forward a few steps, “ _Gohgo,_ don’t--” 

“Stay out of this woman,” Baak Zeon hissed, his voice rising in volume and intensity. The woman stopped in her tracks. The man in white glared up at her as he stalked forward leisurely, his amethyst eyes turning a more foreboding hue as he resumed, “If you want him to stay barely alive, then you’ll turn back and not bother our attempts at arousing Armageddon.” 

She flinched at his words, her deep flushed lips turning into a frown as she regretfully looked down at the two demons. Dong Xiu growled under the invisible pressure, his eyes going black as the beast’s madness devoured him. 

_Ungrateful, traitorous bastards!!_

When the man in white was a few steps away, a black typhoon blew violently through the corridor--the sharp and crisp shrill of glass shattering thundered throughout the area; fragments of sharp colors danced in the sinister, dark gale. Almost as if he knew that the Beast would be outraged, Baak Zeon closed his fist harder and pulled his arm back, his muscles flexing under his white robes as he applied more pressure onto the two beings. His violet eyes were almost obsidian from anger.

Dong Xiu pushed his hands against the tile, fighting against the heavy, invisible weight. He only managed to get himself an inch off of the tile before he yelled intensely, his voice demented and layered with another ominous voice in a different language, “ _I am of the Blood of the Old Gods, How dare you treat me like this!_ ” 

The man with now cryptic eyes lifted his lips into a sinister smile. When he spoke, he stepped onto the center of Wu Lang’s back and earned a terrified shrill from the young demon. Although his voice was soft, it was clearly heard above the howling wind, “Oh Beast, should you really be talking to me like that when I have your entire family in the palm of my hand?” 

At that, Dong Xiu and the severe windstorm stilled, malachite eyes focused on nothing in particular as he thought about the words spoken. Wu Lang squirmed, his fear consuming him as he started to mindlessly beg, “No, no, please stop--” 

Seeing that the ancient being had stilled in thought, Baak Zeon laughed slowly as he said, “I heard that the precious first wife of yours is with child.”

As soon as the announcement was made, Dong Xiu’s blackened eyes widened in shock; Wu Lang also managed to hear that and he stilled as well. It was Wu Lang that asked, “Wh-What… Yu-Yuan Ji? Yuan Ji i-is-is… Is w-wh-- _Argh_ …!” The pressure on his back silenced him as it became harsher. Some of the loud, dull snaps of bone sounded as the white boot dug mercilessly against the freshly healed back. 

“Leave them alone, _Gohgo_!” the woman in front of them cried. She took a sobbing intake of air, her sea-green eyes looking weepingly at the demon under Baak Zeon’s boot. “I thought you said you…!”

“Shut up, _Muihmui_!” He pressed harder against Wu Lang’s spine. The ugly demon winced and groaned out in pain, but the male Higher Being continued unwinding his madness on the woman, “If not for you, we wouldn’t have this hiccup in our plans…! Go back and reflect on your sins against the Elder!” 

The woman closed her eyes and inhaled steadily as tears flowed, but without raising an objection, she haltingly turned her heel and walked away.

Having his sibling walk away obediently, the man’s mood greatly improved. He gazed down at the demon under his feet and lifted the corner of his mouth before speaking, “Ah yes. Where were we? That first lady of yours…” Dark Orchid eyes trialed up to the damaged back of the green-eyed demon that glared over at him. The Celestial determined to reveal what he knew. 

“Did you know? It’s already been three months since your imprisonment. That lady of yours should be four or five months along by now.” 

“ _You…_ ” One of Dong Xiu’s green eyes were consumed by the black color, giving his already pissed off expression a menacing look as he roared, that ominous voice in an unusual language still overlaying his own roar, “ _You liar! You can’t manipulate me!_ ” 

“Me, a liar?” Baak Zeon laughed, pulling up his other hand and outstretching his palm. The pale surface quickly conjured and collected particles of light, slowly forming and shaping into the silhouette of a woman with a hand at her belly. Baak Zeon had a light satisfaction bloom on his chest when he saw the recognition flutter on the pure-blooded demon’s features. “Here in Kunlun Shan, we can see everything happening in the world below thanks to the Elder’s power.” 

“Y-Yuan…” Dong Xiu had lost his rage, his eyes returning to normal as he succumbed to the force of the man’s overwhelming pressure. Exhausted, Dong Xiu could only lay on his side, breathing laboriously as the earlier use of his diabolical gales caught up to him. Seeing that the two subjects were becoming well-behaved, Baak Zeon’s eyes lightened up in mirth. 

“If you don’t want anything to happen to your little girls or your pregnant wife, then be obedient and release your Howl,” he grinned. 

“No,” Dong Xiu shivered as he closed his eyes. He grimaced as he fought against the new rage within the pit of his soul. “I won’t… let him…” 

“How sad,” Baak Zeon sighed, wiggling his fingers to disperse the lights. Then he relaxed his other arm and released the pressure on the two demons. Wu Lang gasped for air. Baak Zean bent over and grasped a handful of the demon's crimson hair and pulled him up. Wu Lang groaned as he was forced onto his weakened legs. The black-haired beauty chuckled as he seemed to gain some sort of pleasure from the other’s pain. Dong Xiu curled his lip at the other, but his green eyes fluttered for a moment.

“Since you don’t want to Howl, it’s back to the dungeons with you two.” 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Wu Lang’s body jerked on instinct as his back was pressed against the red bar, his arms tied by chains to the wall behind him. The heated bar was far away from the wall, so the force of his arms being pulled back pressed his spine against the hot metal--he could feel the unbearable heat slowly melt into his skin. He screamed, “ _Aaah!!! Ahhh!!_ ” 

Across from him, Dong Xiu had also been pressed against a red-hot pole, but his head was bowed and he was silent even though the pain hurt him as well. However, several men in white had quickly tied them up before grinning in self-satisfaction. 

“Finished here?” the man with the Magnolia flower hair ornament asked Baak Zeon with hands at his hips and a bored expression on his face. They ignored Wu Lang’s whimpers and soft outcries of distress.

“Ah, I forgot,” Baak Zeon turned his purplish eyes to Wu Lang and smiled. Then he pulled a silver knife from his pocket. “Tong Heidek, his arms. Sever the tendons.” 

Immediately at the command, Dong Xiu’s head picked up and he shouted with furious wrath, “Don’t you dare hurt Wu Lang!!” 

However, the warning fell on deafened ears as the man with the silver magnolia hair ornament beamed and took the weapon. He turned to Wu Lang and spoke mockingly as he approached, “If you were just obedient and didn’t smack _ah-go_ in the face, you wouldn’t be in this position.” 

Wu Lang tried to avoid him, but every movement he made only made that hot iron rod melt into his skin further, causing him pain no matter what he did. His already outstretched arm was seized and much more quickly than he was expecting, he felt the sharp movement of the blade against precise locations on his arm. A second later he felt the searing pain and the sudden numbness. Wu Lang winced, his half deformed lips parted as he struggled to breathe-- his chest and throat once again having that feeling that deprived him of the ability to inhale while his heart pounded rapidly and hard in his chest. His mind was already detached from the realm of reality by the time his other arm got cut up, deep red blood pouring from the wounds and pooling gently onto the dark stones that the two demons were forced to sit on.

“Wu Lang!” Dong Xiu called out, but to Wu Lang’s ears, the call was muffled and barely heard.

“Finished,” Tong Heidek spoke as he rose himself to full length and walked back to Baak Zeon. There was a cocky grin on the man’s lips and Dong Xiu couldn’t help the desire to punch them all in the face before ripping them to shreds. Baak Zeon smiled sweetly before turning to the bigger man with the silver hair ornaments of leaves. “We should leave now. We’ll leave them here for three hours.” 

“Very well,” the larger man in white robes hummed, his voice deep and monotonous. The three Higher Beings shared nods before leaving the clammy and dark dungeons. Dong Xiu glared at the direction they went off before turning his attention to Wu Lang.

“Wu Lang!” he called out to his friend, but a trembling fear consumed him from the depths of his chest when he saw the other’s body convulse, the head of red hair hanging limply and runny blood escaping from his half deformed lips which had filled with froth. With every passing second, Dong Xiu became more and more anxious as he witnessed the situation of his friend.

 _Beast! Break these chains!_ Dong Xiu pulled at the Beast’s horns to get its attention, its own mouth overfilled with saliva that dripped down its chin. It heaved, its sinister eyes widened and crazed. Although it seemed disoriented, it unsteadily rose to its feet and pulled. 

_Crip! Crip! Cra-ck!_

Dong Xiu suppressed his roar as his body pulled on the chains, causing them to snap and pop as his skinny frame summoned some beastly strength to rip them off the back wall. Some metal flew as he forced his body forward and away from the hot rod. When he was free, the eastern marquis raced ahead to Wu Lang. The young demon’s body jerked uncontrollably and strangled grunts started to escape his clenched jaws. Pleading with the beast again, Dong Xiu was quick to rip apart the thick chains that stretched the young demon’s injured arms out. As soon as he released his friend, he gathered the young demon in his arms and pulled him away from the heated iron bar. 

Wu Lang’s eyes were glossed over and moving too rapidly to focus on anything, the young demon seemed to be unconscious as his body was dragged a few measures away from where they were chained up at. Dong Xiu looked at the boy’s cut arms, grimacing at how dark blood came from the cuts. He couldn’t do anything to heal him. At least not yet--not while Wu Lang was in this state.

“Wu Lang, Wu Lang,” Dong Xiu murmured, his chest aching as he rested the boy’s head on the floor gently. He made sure that the young demon was on his side to let the saliva and blood drip out instead of choking him. As a warrior, he has seen this kind of illness many times with his soldiers, so he knew what to do. He let the young demon’s twitches and jerks run their course, watching with a careful eye as he tried to talk with the Beast. 

_Beast…_

_She’s with child,_ the beast spoke, its surprise seeming to catch up with it as the realization set in. Dong Xiu was also surprised at the revelation… but he was numbed. He was happy--he would be happy--but with where they are now… and what has to be done… He didn’t know what to feel. 

_Beast…_ He called it again, weaker this time. 

_The woman we all thought was barren is now having a child,_ the Beast blinked its eyes as it turned its head away from Dong Xiu. It was something they both wished for secretly, even if they had believed that it would never happen. Right now, they should be home and celebrating the new life coming from the woman that he had loved for so long now.

  
  


Dong Xiu blinked as he sat next to Wu Lang’s spazzing body. Just as the violent twitches and the dull groans quieted down, Dong Xiu’s hands came up to cover his face and he cried.


	5. Chapter 5

“Here are the two subjects,” a bored voice made Wu Lang jolt awake from his sleep. The boy jolted up in shock, waking Dong Xiu who had held him in his arms the entire night. It was the only time the two nodded off. Wu Lang was still recovering from the days that his arms had been cut, so he had little control with his arms lest they bring pain.

He didn’t know what happened when he fully came to that day. When he woke up, Dong Xiu was bleeding from the mouth but he instructed Wu Lang to not move. Any beatings that he would have gotten, Dong Xiu had taken in his place instead. This led to Dong Xiu carrying a lot more bruises and agonizing red marks all over his body than normal.

Wu Lang was recovered enough to the point of being able to move his arms a little. He wasn’t able to raise them above his chest and they had always shivered uncontrollably when he had tried.

Overall, he became useless.

“Aah?” the woman that had accompanied the male Higher Being. The woman in white clothing wasn’t familiar to Wu Lang, but he can see that her odd eyes were veiled with no-good intentions. “I’m not taking the ugly one, right?” At the words, Wu Lang flinched. He ducked his face into Dong Xiu’s bosom--hiding his ugliness. 

“Of course not,” the man with the silver magnolia flower hair decoration rolled his eyes. “You can’t touch him anyway. I’ll be taking that one with me while you have your fun with the other one.” 

“Oh, yay!” She giggles under her breath, her eyes turning into thin slits as she gazed at Dong Xiu with some sort of perverted intention. “He’s very handsome! I will enjoy my time with him!” 

The man rolled his eyes at her enthusiasm but he opened the gate nonetheless. The sudden shriek of it swinging open caused Wu Lang to jump--his hands unintentionally clawing at his master’s body with skin-piercing strength as he pressed himself harder against the other man. 

The soundless approaches--then Dong Xiu’s animalistic warning growl…

Then the sudden snap of bones followed by Dong Xiu’s cry of agony as his arms were twisted brutally and bent backward. Then Wu Lang was grasped harshly by the shoulder and yanked back. The deformed young adult panicked. 

“N-No!!” The word slipped from his lips habitually. Yet Wu Lang couldn’t catch his breath before his vision went dark. He wasn’t unconscious, but he couldn’t see; the man in white had covered his head with some sort of thick sack. His eyes widened, and the confusion flowed in as he was pulled backward. It was instantly uncomfortable to be wordlessly ordered to take steps back when he couldn’t see. After being forced to walk back some steps, his hands were clasped behind his back. A thick, itchy string dug into his wrists painfully as they tied his hands together as if he were some sort of cattle being prepared to be sent off to the butcher. 

“Come on, _ugly_ ,” The male being’s voice rang out with a lick of heavy sadism. Having the word ‘ugly’ flung at him as a nickname made Wu Lang grimace beneath the case that obstructed his view. Yet he wasn’t given time to adjust. The person pulled, and he followed the pressure pulling him with a stagger.

From somewhere behind him, as he was being led away, he heard a feminine giggle, “Now that I have you all to myself, beast of gluttony…”

  
  
  
  


He was forced to walk a long way. Wu Lang had tripped and stumbled over his steps and various amounts of stairs since the man guiding him didn’t bother to give him a heads up about any elevated sections there were walking to. Heck, he almost fell down a flight of stairs if not for the strong grip that held him. 

“What are you? Retarded as well?” the impatient groan came from beside him. Wu Lang felt his body heat up in humiliation at the insult. However, he couldn’t force the words of defense that had gotten stuck at his throat. They walked down the flight of stairs for a long while before flat grown was under his feet. Wu Lang shuffled, but the man grasping his arm held no compassion for the demon’s uncertainty. The young man was marched over a few steps into whatever room they were in, then a force snapped at the back of his knees, causing him to collapse with a soft shout. A hand pressed against the top of his head and forced his neck against a smooth surface. Dumbly, Wu Lang followed these actions--unsure of what was going on. His face burned with emotion and he could feel the stinging of tears forming at the rims of his eyes. 

“Now stay there as I get things prepared,” the cruel voice was laughing at him from above--then the sound of ropes tightening. 

“Tong Heidek,” a deeper voice spoke from behind, causing Wu Lang to jolt slightly. There were two of these beings with him. The dull ache in his chest had gotten a bit stronger. “Are you sure about this?”

“It’s not every year that I get this much fun,” the one called Tong Heidek chuckled. Far away, he heard a sniffle and cough. Wu Lang was a veteran. Although he was never a prisoner of war before, he knew about the process from how many prisoners the Eastern country would take. He was glued to Dong Xiu’s side since then, so he never descended into the torture chambers, and Dong Xiu had never allowed him to take part in any of the executions. “It’s too much for you to see,” Dong Xiu had told him as they were riding back to the manor after the King had sentenced someone to be beheaded.

Now that he thought about it--kneeling with his neck against the soft, smooth wood and his hands tied behind his back--Dong Xiu had been too good to him. Unlike most other retainers, Wu Lang found himself spoiled and treated more like a member of the family than a servant.

The young man bit his lip, his keen hearing picking up on the sounds of other prisoner’s muffled sobs and terrified gasps. Then there was a soft creak, then… 

_Shhhhhhhhk!_

From far away, the sound of a blade cutting through the air. Just from the sound alone, he could tell that this was a heavy blade--and not long did he hear the sound of something wet, then a gentle ‘thump’. 

Immediately, a woman’s voice cried out, “Spare me!! I didn’t mean to stumble onto this place! Please forgive--” 

_Shhhk!_ Another sound of the blade coming down. And again, the sound of something falling to the ground after the sickening wet sound. Wu Lang’s eyes widened--his shock expression blocked from the view of other people.

They were… beheading people… Were they? 

Another sound of the blade falling, this time sounding closer. Could be estimated to be about fifteen feet away. Another person tried to muffle their pleading. “P-p-please don’t--” the man’s voice was a whimper, silenced by the heavy blade. 

Wu Lang began to shiver, but fear consumed him. It grasped hold of his body and held him down, his neck presented to the looming, sharpened threat. The terror laughed at his helpless state, paralyzing him to be as defenseless as a trapped deer. His heart raced, causing his chest to ache and his stomach to become upset-- bile stuck in his throat. His mind started to race. 

Will he… die? What would happen to the Dong family? And Dong Xiu? What would happen to him with all of his enemies still targeting him? And the girls… Dong Wenmin, Liming, and little Liyue… And the ladies… And his father… 

It was increasingly becoming difficult to breathe as Wu Lang could only think of the man from his early childhood--the man that would hold him close and save him when anything went wrong… Yet the fright still had its merciless hands pressed against his body and he couldn’t let his mouth call out. His body trembled against it, and his eyes started to blur. 

The sound of the falling blades was closer now, perhaps ten feet, and the woman next to him sobbed, “No! No! Please! I have daughters--” 

“Shut up,” the voice was next to him, in front of the woman now. He could hear the sound of rope before the chilling sound of a large blade cutting the air. She let out a bloodcurdling scream before it was cut off abruptly, and the sound of her head hitting the ground with such a heavy moist noise… the area below Wu Lang’s stomach had a terrible pinch and he grimaced. 

A faint chuckle approached. 

“You’re the last one, pal,” the cocky voice of the Higher Being barely penetrated through the sound of Wu Lang’s racing heart. The man sighed. “If your friend back there could Howl, then you wouldn’t have to die. But, I gave it time… Now I guess you have to lose your head!”

Die? Wu Lang struggled to inhale. Although he was the master’s retainer and he should be prepared to die at any time, he found himself unable to accept the mentality. 

He didn’t want to die... 

He closed his eyes, barely feeling the tears that rushed down his face--

“Oi!” The sound of someone rushing into the room distracted everyone--and terrified Wu Lang. He had anticipated the sound of metal, so the unexpected shout made him lose control of his body, and the uncomfortable pinch below his stomach caused his bladder to unfold against his will. Within his trousers, he felt the embarrassing act of his body releasing his wastes; the spot at his groin becoming warm and wet. He could smell the stench... Wu Lang was ashamed of himself.

“The Beast made a sound!” 

“Was it the Howl?” The man behind Wu Lang questioned, his voice much different than the one that he recognized for the man with the magnolia hair ornament. The excitement of the room grew as the one who had barged in said, “I don’t know, but it’s a sound!” 

“He must have bleated,” Tong Heidek laughed. “Either way, it should attract the other Fiends. Although, it won’t wake _that one_ … Shin Zen, get him up.” 

Wu Lang felt his arms get grasped with a fair hold, and he was pulled up to his feet. His face grew hot, it was unavoidable. There was suddenly roaring laughter. 

“The retard ended up pissing his pants!” Tong Heidek’s unnecessary announcement was insulting. The other person laughed along in morbid entertainment, but the man that had pulled Wu Lang to his feet gruffed with no trace of satisfaction for the demon’s disgrace. 

“Heidek. It’s not appropriate to laugh,” the deep voice protested. 

“This is an _ugly_ , _retarded_ demon,” Tong Heidek defended himself. “Of course it’s appropriate to laugh at those detestable things. They aren’t even blessed.” 

Shin Zen sighed deeply but didn’t say anything to counter; his comment was enough to lessen the merciless enjoyment of the other two. 

“Let’s get him back to the cell,” Tong Heidek said. Wu Lang felt his body being guided and he stumbled as he was being led. He sniffled back his snot as he bit his lower lip--smothering the sound of his sobs yet letting his tears run freely. Mortification at his body’s uncontrollable actions, and emotionally wrecked by such derogatory terms. His head hung low as he was forced to walk forward.

Behind him, Wu Lang heard a gentle, “I’m very sorry for his behavior.” As if the man was cautious about being overheard. Yet the apology was wasted on him. There was nothing that could be done to repair whatever honor he had left.

  
  
  


When the cover came off of his head, Wu Lang’s eyes stung at the bright light of a nearby fire. Yet he didn’t have time to enjoy it as his body was roughly shoved, his weak legs failing him. He fell to the floor disgracefully, a choked whimper hissing through his clench teeth as he tried to push himself up. It was a vain attempt as his hands were still tied up behind his back. He panicked, trying to wriggle his wrists through the tight restraints--but it only brought an intense burn against his skin. He whined.

“Wu Lang…!” Dong Xiu was swiftly over him. Sharp nails tore the rope holding the young demon’s hands together with relative ease before warm hands grasped the man’s body and brought him closer. Wu Lang found himself blindly wrapping his arms around his master’s naked torso, hiding his face into the flesh of his master’s shoulder as he embraced him tightly--a sense of sorrow-filled relief washing over him as Dong Xiu held him tightly. 

In the safety of his master’s arms, Wu Lang finally let out the choked sobs that had been stuck in his throat. He allowed his humiliation to consume him and he wept freely. 

Wu Lang was so far in his grief that he didn’t realize that his master had supported a few new bruises in disgraceful spots as well. Dong Xiu glared up at the others behind the iron bars. From the corner of his mouth seeped black blood and his loose hair had turned white at the ends. 

“He bleated!” the woman that was left with Dong Xiu chimed a little too happily, her snowy dress put on in a haste. She licked her lower lip as she added, “Which is a shame. I loved having my way with him.” 

“Only bleated, huh?” Tong Heidek crossed his arms over his chest as he pondered. “I guess Baak Zeon would be satisfied with that much. Even if it wasn’t a Howl.” 

“Isn’t he with his wives?” the lady asked with a pout. “It would be unwise to interrupt him…” 

“True. Ah, let’s wait for him then…” And their voices faded away as the group of Celestials left the chambers. Dong Xiu watched with resentment in his green eyes.

He hugged the weeping Wu Lang closer and stroked his hair back. For now, it seemed as if they were alone. “Wu Lang, what happened?” He asked softly, but he didn’t expect a reply. His angered expression softened as he soothed his friend. 

However, Wu Lang was like a child in his father’s arms. He wailed into Dong Xiu’s shoulder, “They were going to kill me…! Th-th-they we-were…!” The young man suffocated on his breath, and Dong Xiu held him tighter to reassure him.

“It’s fine… It’s fine, you’re here,” he spoke as if comforting his daughters, wanting to ease the boy’s fear away and get him to rest his mind. He didn’t care for what had happened to him--although it was degrading to be touched with soiled hands and forced to suffer several humiliating blows to his body and ego, yet he couldn’t bring his pain above Wu Lang’s. He continued to whisper false, comforting words while holding the red-haired demon as if he were his son.

  
  


It took a few hours until Wu Lang cried himself to sleep. His body against Dong Xiu, both figures still tightly holding onto each other for comfort. Dong Xiu’s eyelids were heavy with sleep, yet he couldn’t pass out… not yet. He wasn’t certain when the damn assholes would return and terrorize them again, but now he couldn’t sleep… not after what they had made him do. 

The white at the ends of his loosened locks had extended upwards by an inch, not spreading any further. This was because he barely stopped the Beast from doing what they wanted them to do. The Beast within heaved heavily in a wide-eyed frenzy, its jaw parted as if he had been running for miles. 

The fear that struck the Beast so profoundly had been hammered into Dong Xiu’s heart. 

They were going to kill him. They were going to kill them all.

Dong Xiu didn’t know why that made the Darkness so alarmed, but he had to sacrifice a bit of his soul and bare the internal injury of when the Beast turned its fangs on him to prevent it from releasing its sacred Howl. Blocked from delivering the Howl, the Beast called out--belting in hopes of receiving help. Yet, at this point, who can help them…? 

Dong Xiu felt sleep creep up on him when the sound of the faraway door opened. The Eastern Marquis jolted but his green eyes glared up at the iron gates.

“Thank you, Shin Zen…” A soft, feminine voice spoke.

“Just hurry. I don’t want them to punish you again.” 

The gentle sound of water echoed as the woman descended and stood in front of the gate. Her tender sea-green eyes glanced at the two beaten and half-dressed demons. 

“I’ve come to help wash you,” She said. Over one of her shoulders, she had fresh clothes and on her other shoulder, she had simple rags. The tall man that was with her had a long, cotton blanket in one arm. When the woman nodded, the man opened the gate for her and she walked in. Dong Xiu didn’t move from his spot. He glared at her with malice.

“You again,” he growled as the woman in white placed the bucket of water down before him. The young woman offered Dong Xiu a tight smile.

“You remember me…”

“It’s hard not to,” He hissed in response. He remembered the first time that he crossed paths with her in the corridor. “He looks like you.”

She giggled bashfully, brushing back a lock of her unique hair from her face. The woman in white dipped a spare rag into the water to soak it, then she squeezed the water it out to keep it dampened and handed it to Dong Xiu. “Please…” 

“Why should I trust you?” Dong Xiu was blunt with his question. Being conditioned to distrust these Higher Beings, he made no move to take the dampened rag from the woman. She faltered and her eyes glanced down at the unconscious body in Dong Xiu’s arms. 

“...You’ve… done a lot to protect him, have you?” She questioned softly. 

“That’s none of your concern,” he bit back arrogantly. He knew where she was going, but he didn’t have the patience to listen to them. If it had been any other person, he would hear them out. But not with these Higher Beings. “I don’t have time to listen to your pathetic excuses.” 

She looked panicked at his words, her lips frowning as she tried to reassure him, “No… My Holy Siblings may have evil intentions for you, but I swear I don’t! I just want to help…” 

“Help?” Dong Xiu laughed bitterly as he readjusted the sleeping body in his arms. He gently placed Wu Lang beside him--his movement was carefully watched by the woman in front of him--before turning his full attention to the woman in white. He crossed his legs into a lotus-position then took a deep breath. “Okay. Give me a convincing story and maybe I’ll let you help.”

The woman’s lips quivered, then she told him her story.


	6. Chapter 6

Wu Lang sat on the roof of the Dong manor, his unique colored eyes looking out into the distance at the yellow sun rising into the sun in the east, the darkness slowly retreating from the sky. Little specks of white dandelion puffs floated in the wind like snow. The sight was beautiful in the young demon’s eyes. His uncovered, half-deformed mouth inhaled the cool air.

“Ah, Ji- _er_ ,” He heard the muffled voice of Dong Xiu from within the house. Being on the rooftops, he shouldn’t be able to hear his master, but the marquis forgot to shut the window to his bedroom last night so the red-haired assassin was able to eavesdrop on the couple’s conversation. “Do you think I should let him know?” 

“Let him know?” Yuan Ji questioned back. From the sounds of it, the two were getting dressed for the day. “About… what you told me last night?” 

“Yeah. I feel like I shouldn’t keep it from him.” 

“Dong Xiu, I know you like him a lot… but if he hasn’t asked, then you don’t have to tell him.” 

Wu Lang turned his eyes to the darkness of the sky. He thought back to any recent events that Dong Xiu has been to, trying to figure out the context of the conversation. Perhaps it was that one time the King had asked him to appear before him but Dong Xiu slept in then acted like he was sick? Or did it involve an affair with one of the other general’s wives? There is a lot of things that the conversation could allude to. The darkly dressed assassin kept his knees tucked close to his chest as the master spoke.

“I just… I have this feeling that he’s important. That this is important,” Dong Xiu heaved a heavy sigh.

A moment of silence continued before Yuan Ji spoke gently, “Xiu…” After hearing the soft tone that the first lady spoke, Wu Lang nearly had horror creep upon him. His face twisted with a hard cringe in near-disgust, thinking that the loving couple was going to start smooching on each other and be intimate. That is until he heard, “You know that I never will question you. If you wish to tell him, that’s fine. If you don’t, that is also fine. His lineage does not impact what we have here.”

Dong Xiu let out another sigh. Then, in a strong, calling voice, “Wu Lang!” 

On a knee-jerk reaction, the red-haired demon didn’t hesitate when he was called. He immediately swung his legs off the ledge in front of him, tilted his body forward, and flipped himself inside the room through the window in one fluid motion. The young man turned his eyes up to see Dong Xiu snapping his head back towards the open window from the door with a slight look of surprise. Wu Lang barely suppressed the urge to smirk. 

“Yes, master?” The deformed demon was now sitting on the windowsill, one hand resting on the beam above him to be ready to flip back out to do any assignment his master would give him, however, his legs were an inch or so off the floor as he sat pretty badass.

“...” Dong Xiu blinked at him for a few seconds in confusion while Yuan Ji covered her lips with her hand to hide a giggle. Then he said, “Ah… I forgot to close the window last night, huh?” 

“You did,” Yuan Ji and Wu Lang spoke in unison, one with traces of laughter in her voice while the other remained deadpanned in a ‘you dunce’ tone. Dong Xiu shook his head with a defeated chuckle hanging from his lips in a content way--as if he was happy with life. Then he reached out to grab his wife’s hand. 

_…his father’s hands holding onto the pale, jade-like hands of a woman as he sat on her silky dress that reminded him of the snowfall that year. He asked her a question and she responded as she wrapped her other hand around the small child’s midsection and pulled him close to her moderate chest. When he had looked up at his father with unexplainable excitement, he saw how those hazel eyes glimmered with some emotion--some happiness. Brown orbs reflected two of the man’s most precious treasures…_

“..ang, could you go get the girls up?” Dong Xiu’s voice drifted in; lazily cutting through the memory and drawing the young demon back to the present. The unmasked demon blinked a few times at his master. Then he frowned the best he could at him. 

“You called me just to wake up the girls?” Hazle and turquoise eyes glanced over at Yuan Ji, who held her husband’s hand close to her stomach. The first wife was one other person he had grown to become comfortable around, so he didn’t wear his mask when it was just the two of them. After all, her first time seeing his disfigurement had been the time when he had gotten drunk and woke up the next midday with a massive headache.

Yuan Ji rolled her eyes at her husband while she lightly chopped the marquis’ head with her free left hand, “Husband, you’re making him work too hard.”

“Look, I don’t want to wake up the girls by myself,” Dong Xiu whined like a child. He tilted his head toward his woman and pouted. “Especially Wenmin. She gets up a lot easier when he does it.”

Wu Lang rolled his eyes with such strength, it gave him a short-lived headache. “Oh. Heavens,” He spoke with impatience. “You are a _literal_ child, Dong Xiu.”

“I know. I know,” Dong Xiu sniffled as he snuggled his face into his wife’s chest shamelessly. Wu Lang rolled his eyes again, but reacted in kind… By hurriedly drawing his hand down to seize his mask from his belt, drag the material onto his face, then hop into the room to bolt to the door as quickly as possible. When his hand touched the knob, Dong Xiu spoke again.

_...._ “Wu’laan,” _the voice was warm and familiar, even though the words spoken were different from what his father would say. He had dropped his favorite toy and began to cry when she had called him._

“...Huh?” The darkly dressed demon halted in his step. He furrowed his brows as he repeated the word over and over in his head. After he recited it enough to remember it, he looked over his shoulder and ask, “What was that?” He had missed what his master had said.

“I wanted to ask you,” Dong Xiu’s green eyes were now glancing at him with a somewhat serious gaze Although his head was still pressed against his wife, he looked over at him as if seeking the truth to the question he then asked, “Does the name ‘Lyun’ mean anything to you?” 

_...“Lyun,” his father called lovingly._

The crease between Wu Lang’s brows deepened as he thought, but relaxed when he didn’t find a personal connection to the word. Then he thought about any prior interactions that his master might have had, but also found that the name was nowhere to be found. It sounded familiar, but he couldn’t make out exactly if it was important or if it was something he misunderstood sometime during his childhood.

“No. Not that I know of,” he answered. “Why?”

“If you don’t know it, then it’s not important,” Dong Xiu answered, then falsified a lazy yawn. “I just wanted to see if you knew about it, that’s all.”

“Okay then,” Wu Lang didn’t ask further. He turned the knob and left the room to wake the girls of the household. 

A moment of silence blanketed the room after the young demon left. Then a sigh. “...I thought you were going to tell him,” Yuan Ji twirled a lock of Dong Xiu’s hair around her finger. Dong Xiu smiled against his beloved wife’s bosom as he snaked his hands over her waists to hold her close.

“I was,” he hummed. “But... I think it’s too soon for him to know. Maybe when he’s a little older.” 

“He’s already nineteen, Dong Xiu,” Yuan Ji got tired of standing next to her husband. She patted his shoulders to pull him back, then sat across his lap. As soon as she sat on him, the man groaned lowly and began assaulting her ears with gentle kisses. “Any older and he’ll miss the chance to know about his birthright.”

“But,” he growled seductively against her ear. Dong Xiu’s naughty hands had already started to find the openings to her dress and sneak in to touch his beloved’s body. “We only know one side of his linage. Before we tell him, we should find out about both.”

“Dong Xiu…” 

“Shush. I say we should do something to distract your hardworking mind, my lady,” Dong Xiu licked his lips hungrily. The matter with Wu Lang can wait, he decided. In his heart, he held onto the fragment of vital information firmly.

  
  
  
  


_Within the bed of dandelion puffs, he planted that little, black-leaved orchid against his cherry tree with care. He knew, one day, it had the chance to grow and bloom and eventually lead the nation to the light when the moon and sun are swallowed._

_Wu Lang, he spoke, gazing onto that little orchid with affection. His eyes were already filled with water. Behind him, the black, horned beast watched him with uncharacteristic patience in its eyes as it laid upon the field of dandelions. White specks flew gracefully to the starless black sky. The little black-leaved orchid sat obediently at the elbow of the tree’s branch; its little roots not yet established onto the bark._

_I pray that the Heavens have granted you a full life, be it king, nobleman, or peasant. I want you to live, and I can only beseech the Old Gods to hear my prayer._

_I pray… I pray…_

_From behind, the beast parted its jaw and answered him:_ _  
_ _You are an Old God. If you want him to live, make it happen._

  
  


With that decision, he decided to take the woman’s offer.

  
  
  


**_“RRRAAAAAAAAAGHHH!!”_ **

Wu Lang woke up with a fright when he heard the disastrous roar that rang through the prison chamber. He instinctively flung back the white blankets that covered him as he jolted into a sitting position. His eyes were wide as he frantically scanned around the cell for the source of the sound. With his heart punching him from within, the red-haired demon found his master on his knees, hunched over while wrapping his clawed hands over his body as if trying to comfort himself.

Yet… The longer that he gazed upon Dong Xiu’s heaving form, the more he became unrecognizable.

“D-d-don… Dong…”

The white-haired man snapped his head upwards--and the sight shocked Wu Lang. The entirety of the man’s eyes had bled black, and dark veins pulsed from the man’s face down to his neck. Pale, chapped lips were covered in ooze, followed by black blood that spilled from the sides of Dong Xiu’s lips.

Seeing such a fast reaction from the man, Wu Lang became petrified--frozen in place from the fear that gripped onto his neck and crushed his windpipe. 

The ‘Dong Xiu’ before him curled his lips and bared his bloody teeth. And the roar that came from his lips sounded like the ear-shattering howl of a hurricane. In an instant, the entire room filled with a black wind that blinded Wu Lang’s vision--

Then the sound of something large thrashing; wet noise; then the bending of steel before a snap. 

When the black wind faded away and his vision returned, Wu Lang held his breath in terror as a large muzzle was pressed against his chest. Hazel and turquoise eyes hesitatingly gazed up, meeting two eyes that glared down at him with ominous evil. The beast curled its lips, flashing white, sharp teeth.

“Wh-whah…ah-ah,” Wu Lang felt his throat become dry and scratchy from the lump that had quickly formed.

The beast flinched back and a snarl ripped through its throat. Then in a swift movement, the snout of the beast parted and sharp teeth clasped around Wu Lang firmly, but not enough to rip him apart or cause blood to spill.

Wu Lang panicked and screeched.

The woman in white rushed to open the door to the prisons, her turquoise eyes wide in shock when she saw the toppled and snapped iron bars of the cell. She can hear the demon’s horrific screams as it slowly ebbed--overtaken by the wet, gurgling, and swallowing noise. She took a deep breath and walked forward until she saw the beast. 

Its large neck moved as it swallowed another gulp of air to help the latest meal move down into its empty stomach. Then its green eyes glared over in her direction. 

“You have taken my offer,” she said with relief. 

“ _I am not doing this for you, woman_ ,” the horned beast snapped at her, its voice none other than that of Dong Xiu. “ _I’m doing this for the future you had been ready to throw away for this world._ ”

Her lips pulled to a frown as she held her gloved hands over her stomach. “I also do not want him to die. But he is one in the sea of many.”

“ _It’s the same with you all,_ ” Dong Xiu cocked his head and exposed his teeth at the woman in white. Hatred was not at all veiled in this exchange. His claws clopped against the stone flooring as he lowered his head to threaten her with his curled horns. “ _Selfish bastards. Now keep to your deal_.”

She nodded. “We will have no more debts when he is safe.” She ran off before anyone of her people raised the alarm of escaped prisoners, leaving all of the doors open on her way out. 

The Ram huffed, shaking the wool on his body. With his chest heavy, he sighed. He was running on borrowed time as the beast had become preoccupied with the surge of energy the latest meal gave him. It was enough of a distraction for Dong Xiu to overtake his form.

_Wu Lang… This may be my final act of being ‘me’..._

  
  


“Who gave the damn demon _that_ Gu!?” A furious scream ran through as sections of the building fell over. The Black Ram charged through wall after wall, following the trail of open doors as he rushed through. Any of those people in white that tried to challenge the Beast of Black Winds were trampled under his rushing claws or bitten and consumed on the spot. When he got to the golden corridor, he had left a trail of blood, crumbled bodies, and shattered walls.

Like a storm, the black wooled beast rushed through the long corridor. He slowed down and stopped right at the final door. Green eyes looked down at the small woman beside him--the woman that gave him this chance at freedom. 

“ _You will be punished again_ ,” He said to her.

“That is fine,” She smiled. The sunlight shone down upon her in an enchanting way. Her red hair looked like a beautiful fire under the touches of the golden light. “You and I have the same prayer. But you are a God. I am merely an imitation of Your Greatness.”

She looked out into the vast wilderness of her homeland for one last time. “I do not wish to see my Holy Brother’s plan come to fruition. If you can save his life and foil my brother’s plan, I will gladly endure all pains.”

Then she pointed to the distance ahead and directed, “Within Kunlun, there is a tunnel that leads to the outside world. Beyond the Gates, the Weak River will appear before you. With your ability to manipulate the winds, you should jump over it easily. From there, you can return home.” Then she trailed off. The woman’s frown became sorrowful as she uttered with a shaking voice, “I’m… I’m so sorry that I have sacrificed you for this.”

“ _You have not sacrificed me_ ," the Descendant of the Old God of Gluttony huffed from his nostrils. He lowered his head as if to graze upon the pockets of shimmering grass that stuck up from between the cracks in the alabaster forecourt. “ _I took this offer willingly. To save a life precious to me, and to save many more in the future_.”

Then he kicked his hind leg, reared his front off the ground by an inch, and bolted off with a gallop towards the direction she pointed. He ran without stopping and without looking back; leaving the woman to grieve in the overwhelming guilt of requesting an Old God--a man--to sacrifice himself for the sake of their Destiny.

As he ran, black winds hastened his speed, and it wasn’t long until he found the cave she spoke of. They were free from the clutches of those beings for now, but Dong Xiu obediently resigned to the direction his life path had gone.

The black Ram huffed, his belly slightly rounded with the sleeping Child, protecting him with his massive body.

  
  


Within his heart, he heard the ancient chant shared between his forefather and the other Old Gods. The demon sat on his knees before the cherry tree, looking up at its beautiful leaves as dandelion puffs drifted into the wind. That little orchid’s leaves twitched at the wind, but it did not fall from its spot. Crystal tears glided down the man’s face like rain as he recited the words with a quiet sorrow.

_Gate, Gate, Paragate… Parasam Gate...Bohdihsvaha…_

_Stay alive, Wu Lang. I pray, please, keep living._


End file.
